Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 12
काशीद्विजाशीर्भिरहो यदाप्ता कस्तां मुमुक्षुर्यदिवामुमुक्षुः । ग्रासं करस्थं स विसृज्य हृद्यं स्वकूर्परं लेढि विमूढचेताः
kāśīdvijāśīrbhiraho yadāptā kastāṃ mumukṣuryadivāmumukṣuḥ | grāsaṃ karasthaṃ sa visṛjya hṛdyaṃ svakūrparaṃ leḍhi vimūḍhacetāḥ
Ah ! Ayant obtenu Kāśī—acquise par les bénédictions des brāhmaṇas de Kāśī—qui, qu’il cherche ou non la délivrance, l’abandonnerait ? Seul un esprit égaré laisserait tomber la douce bouchée déjà en main pour lécher son propre coude.
Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa frame commonly Skanda → Agastya)
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Scene: A didactic scene: a wise speaker extols Kāśī while illustrating the proverb—one hand holds a sweet morsel; the other person absurdly tries to lick their elbow, showing delusion.
FAQs
To abandon a rare, merit-bestowing opportunity like residence in Kāśī is spiritual folly—like rejecting what is already attainable.
Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), revered as a liberation-giving sacred city.
None directly; the verse emphasizes the value of attaining Kāśī through puṇya and saintly blessings.